


Remember When

by lostinspxce



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Romance, F/F, Memory Loss, Post-War, Slow Burn, St Mungo's Hospital
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-16 20:29:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29581680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lostinspxce/pseuds/lostinspxce
Summary: A few weeks after the Battle of Hogwarts, Hermione is Obliviated and loses her memory. Madam Pomfrey sends her to St Mungo’s for help.Narcissa is sentenced to community service, working in St Mungo’s to help those affected by the war.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Narcissa Black Malfoy
Comments: 17
Kudos: 126





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> disclaimer: the only medical knowledge i have comes from watching grey’s anatomy... so it’s very limited. there may be inaccuracies
> 
> also huge thank you to Blacksphynx, Yanana, and everyone else on discord who encouraged me to write this; and to arcamenel_alatariel for beta-reading :) love u guys

Hermione blinked slowly, her eyes struggling to adjust to the bright stream of light that greeted her as she woke. There was a figure by her bedside with her head buried in a book, her somewhat blurry features slowly coming into focus. Hermione shifted, drawing the attention of the red-haired girl, as she pushed herself into a sitting position.

“Oh, you’re awake! Brilliant. Let me just get Madam Pomfrey.”

“Who?” 

Ginny chuckled and shook her head. “That must’ve been some Stupefy you took. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone this confused after one before.”

“I- What?” 

“Alright, maybe I’ll wait until you’ve woken up properly before I get Madam Pomfrey. Can’t have the brightest witch of her age sounding like an idiot, now can we?” 

“I- I’m sorry, do I know you?”

“Ha, ha. Very funny.”

“I’m not trying to be…” Hermione said, feeling guilt rise in her chest, “I really don’t know who you are.”

“Mhm, if you say so,” Ginny hummed, walking towards the door, “Did George put you up to this?”

“No?” Hermione didn’t bother asking who George was, knowing she wouldn’t get an answer. 

Ginny left the room, returning moments later with a group of people; Harry, Ron, Molly, and Madam Pomfrey. All of them surrounded the bed and Hermione shrunk back into her pillows, glancing nervously at each of them.

“How do you feel, Miss Granger?”

“Er- A little confused, I guess.”

“And physically? Are you hurt?”

“No, I’m fine. Where… Where am I?”

Ginny snorted, earning a glare from Molly, who was standing next to her.

“Ginny Weasley! Your friend is lying in a hospital bed and you’re laughing? What on earth is so funny?”

“Sorry, sorry, it’s just…” Ginny glanced at Hermione and her expression grew serious. “Wait… You’re- You’re serious, aren’t you?”

Hermione nodded and Ginny dropped back onto the chair, covering her mouth with a shaky hand. 

“What?” Harry asked, “What is it?” 

“She- She-“ Ginny shook her head, tears brimming in her eyes. 

“Hermione?” Harry prompted. 

“I… I don’t know...” Hermione trailed off, glancing at Ginny again for help.

“She doesn’t know who we are,” Ginny said. 

“What do you mean?” Ron asked. “Of course she does.” 

“No, Ron, she doesn’t.”

“Miss Granger, do you know anybody in this room?” Madam Pomfrey, picking up a clipboard and a quill, which Hermione eyed in confusion for a moment, almost forgetting to answer the question. 

“Er- No. No, I don’t.” 

“Is this a joke?” Ron asked, “Did George-“

“No,” Ginny interrupted, “It’s not a joke.” 

“But- But how could-“

“You were with her, Gin,” Harry said, “Did she hit her head or anything?”

“No. She fell, but I caught her before she hit the ground, I swear.”

“What spell was she hit with?” Madam Pomfrey asked.

“I- I don’t know. I thought she was Stupefied because she went unconscious, but I didn’t actually hear the spell.”

“Spell?” Hermione echoed. “What, like a magic spell?”

“Yes, exactly that.”

Hermione laughed. She kept laughing until she realised nobody was laughing with her, and then her giggles died down and she frowned.

“What…?”

“You’re a witch, Mione,” Ginny said, “You can do magic.”

“Okay. So, I just… wave a wand and say ‘Abracadabra’?” Hermione raised her eyebrows when everyone flinched away from her, a few of them gasping dramatically.

“Mione! What the hell?” Ron asked, holding a hand over his heart.

“What- What did I do?”

“That’s the bloody Killing Curse!”

“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

“Relax, Ron, you know how tricky the Unforgivable Curses are. You have to mean it, remember? Just saying it wouldn’t do anything. And anyway, she didn’t actually say that spell. What she said is a word Muggles use when they’re pretending to do magic,” Harry explained.

“Oh, yeah. You’re right.” 

“Wait, wait, wait. You’re telling me that magic… actual _magic_ is real, and you expect me to believe you?” Hermione shook her head. “Nope. Not happening.”

“Look, I’ll show you.” Harry drew his wand, first holding it out for Hermione to inspect, and then lay his glasses on the bed. “Wingardium Leviosa.”

Hermione’s lips parted in shock as the glasses lifted from the bed and hovered in the air for a couple of seconds before Harry lowered them again. He raised an eyebrow with a small grin as he pocketed his wand.

“That- That’s not- Am I dreaming? This is some sort of a strange dream, isn’t it? Because that shouldn’t be possible.”

“It’s all real,” Harry said, pushing his glasses up his nose, “I promise.”

“And I can do that too?” 

“That, and way more. You’re the best in our year at spells,” Ron said proudly.

“This is… your wand,” Ginny said, handing Hermione a curved walnut wand. “For the time being, at least. We’re not sure where your actual one is.”

Hermione took the wand carefully, turning it over in her hands a few times. “Whose is this one, if not mine?”

“Er- It’s…” 

Luckily, Molly chose that time to speak to Madam Pomfrey, and the four teenagers quietened down to listen. “Poppy, what can we do about this?”

“She’ll remember us soon, right?” Ron asked.

Madam Pomfrey sighed. “We can’t be sure how bad the damage is just yet. We don’t know the extent of Miss Granger’s memory loss; how much she has forgotten, and whether or not it’s temporary. Though,” she added, seeing a spark of hope in everyone’s eyes, “Do try to remember that, if this is the work of a Memory Charm, which I sincerely hope it isn’t… Well, those are quite permanent. I don’t want to frighten any of you, but I think you should be prepared for the worst.” 

Hermione took in a shaky breath, trying to process the information. “How can we know if- if it’s permanent?”

“I think we should see whether you start to remember anything throughout the day. If, when you wake tomorrow, you haven’t remembered anything, then I would suggest a trip to St Mungo’s.”

“St Mungo’s?”

“A wizarding hospital. They’ll be far better equipped to handle a situation like this than I am here. If you do have to go there, you’ll be given the best care available, I’m sure.”

“What do we do in the meantime?” Harry asked, “Just sit around and wait for her memories to come back?” 

“Sometimes, in cases of temporary memory loss, familiar items or places may trigger a memory. Perhaps you could try to show Miss Granger some things that might help her remember - just not too much too soon. It could be overwhelming to her.”

“Got it. So, she can leave the Hospital Wing?” Ron asked.

“Since there doesn’t seem to be any physical harm, yes, I suppose she can. But if anything-”

“If anything happens, we’ll come straight here,” Ginny finished, “Promise.”

“Good. You may go now.”

“Thank you,” Hermione said, climbing out of bed to follow Ginny, Harry, and Ron. “Where are we going?”

“We’re going to give you a tour of the castle.”

“Castle? We’re in a castle?”

“Yeah, we are,” Ron chuckled, “Though, it’s a bit of a mess right now. It usually looks better, but… we’re working on it. Everyone’s been working on rebuilding it for weeks now.”

They wandered the halls of Hogwarts slowly with Hermione trailing a couple of steps behind the group, her eyes darting around quickly, trying to take it all in at once. Everything was half-destroyed, with rubble everywhere, but Hermione was in awe nonetheless. 

“What happened to it?” she asked. “Why does it need to be rebuilt?”

Harry, Ron, and Ginny glanced at each other, but none of them made any move to answer the question. 

“Should we…?” Ginny whispered, still loud enough for Hermione to hear.

“Madam Pomfrey said we should try to trigger her memories,” Ron said.

“She also said not to tell her too much too soon,” Harry pointed out.

“I’m right here, you know,” Hermione huffed.

Ginny sighed and gave Hermione a sad smile. “I think we should wait. If you remember anything on your own, great. If not… we should start with the easy stuff first, I think.” 

“That’s a good idea, Gin,” Harry agreed, “Sorry, Mione.” 

Hermione nodded, letting her attention drift to her surroundings again. Her eyes caught a painting on the wall and she stopped in her tracks, staring at it in wonder when she realised it was moving, which she mentioned to the others.

“Yeah, magical portraits do that. Just wait ‘til you see the ghosts,” Harry chuckled.

Hermione laughed with him, sure he was joking. It was only a few minutes later when Nearly Headless Nick floated past them, through a door that Hermione’s head twisted to the side to stare wide-eyed at Harry.

“Told you,” he shrugged. 

They brought Hermione to the Gryffindor common room first, hoping to bring forth any memories from her years spent living there. Hermione moved slowly around the room, running her fingers along the furniture as she passed by. 

“Why’s everything red?” 

“Red and gold are the Gryffindor house colours,” Ron explained, “All of the four houses have their own colours; Slytherin is green and silver, Hufflepuff is black and yellow, and Ravenclaw is blue and bronze. Gryffindor is the best, of course.”

Hermione raised an eyebrow in a silent question and Ginny jumped in to explain. “The four of us are Gryffindors. Every student takes their house pride very seriously here.”

“Clearly,” Hermione chuckled. 

“Is anything coming back?” Harry asked.

Hermione sighed and shook her head. “Nothing.”

“It’s alright, this is only our first stop. I know exactly where to go next,” Ginny announced, motioning for the others to follow her.

“Where?” Hermione asked.

All three smirked and answered in unison. “The library.” 

“I’m guessing I spend a lot of time there?” 

“More like every waking second, but sure, ‘a lot of time’ works too,” Ginny teased.

“You always were a huge bookworm,” Ron said, “I wouldn’t be surprised if you somehow managed to read every book in the library over the past few years - and the library is huge. If being there doesn’t trigger something, I don’t know what will.”

“Don’t listen to him,” Harry said quickly, “There’ll be plenty of other options-”

“Don’t worry, Harry, I still know what a joke is.”

“Right. Right, of course.”

Hermione couldn’t help the delighted laugh that escaped her when she saw the library. ‘Huge’ was quite possibly the understatement of the century. She eyed the hundreds of shelves, all packed tightly with far more books than she could ever have imagined, with unbridled excitement.

“Oh… Wow. This is… Wow.”

“Yeah, that sounds like Hermione,” Ron muttered to Harry, “We’ll never be able to get her out of here.”

“Good luck telling your mum that you lost her,” Harry replied, laughing quietly.

“Merlin, she’d kill me.”

They turned their attention back to Hermione, who had moved to one of the shelves and was scanning the titles with a wide grin. She pulled a few from their places to flick through them for a moment or two before moving on to the next, as if she were trying to read them all in one go.

“There are so many,” she murmured, more to herself than anybody else.

“I’m sure you’ll have plenty of time to read them all,” Ginny said, “If not, you’ll make time. Nothing comes between Hermione Granger and her books.”

Harry, Ron, and Ginny sat at one of the tables while Hermione roamed the library for a few minutes. Eventually, she sat with them and shook her head sadly.

“This is amazing, but it didn’t make me remember anything.”

“Do you want to try somewhere else or take a break?” Harry asked.

“Try somewhere else,” Hermione replied instantly.

“You know, Madam Pomfrey was right; we probably shouldn’t try too much too soon,” Ginny said, chewing her bottom lip. 

“I’ll be fine. If it becomes too much, I’ll stop, I promise. I just really want to get my memories back as soon as I can.”

“Okay, okay. We can try a couple of classrooms, then.”

‘A couple of classrooms’ ended up being all of them, and by the time they left the last one, it was getting dark outside. They returned to the Hospital Wing, all of them feeling defeated, which was clear to Madam Pomfrey as soon as they walked through the door.

“No luck?” she guessed.

“No. Nothing came back,” Hermione sighed, collapsing onto the edge of her bed. 

“Okay. We’ll see how things are in the morning and decide we have to go from there. For now, though, are you hungry?”

Hermione hadn’t even thought about food until that moment, but now that Madam Pomfrey mentioned it, her stomach rumbled loudly. “I guess so,” she chuckled.

“Mr Weasley, why don’t you go to the kitchens and have food brought up here. I’m sure you don’t want to be in the Great Hall with everyone else right now, do you, Miss Granger?” 

“Definitely not,” Hermione said mid-yawn, “I’m far too tired for that, I think.”

“I’m not surprised.”

Ron did as instructed, bringing four plates of food back from the kitchens with him. They ate in silence for the most part, aside from the occasional discussion about Quidditch, which Ginny tried to explain to Hermione as best she could. It seemed way too complicated for Hermione’s taste.

Madam Pomfrey kicked Harry, Ron, and Ginny out right after they finished eating, insisting that Hermione needed her rest. Hermione had to agree on that; she was struggling to stay awake at that point, so it didn’t take long after the room emptied for her to fall asleep.

The second Hermione woke, she was bombarded with about a hundred questions from her friends, all eager to see if she had gotten her memories back. In her dazed state, she couldn’t even make out the words being said to her. Everyone was talking over each other, speaking far too quickly for her to keep up, and their voices seemed to merge together.

She squinted at them, hardly able to keep her eyes open yet. Madam Pomfrey tutted her annoyance and shushed the teenagers, pushing her way past them to speak to Hermione herself.

“Good morning.”

“Morning,” Hermione croaked, her voice rough from sleep. 

“Can you tell me your name?”

“My name? Of course, it’s…” Hermione paused, nothing coming to mind. A worried look made its way around the group in front of her and she shook her head, letting out a nervous chuckle. “Er- It’s…”

“Take your time,” Madam Pomfrey said gently.

“Why doesn’t she know?” Ron whispered loudly.

“I- I do know. I know my name. It’s…” Hermione rubbed her forehead, desperately trying to remember.

“Okay, let’s try something else. We can come back to that in a moment.”

“Wait, no! I’ve got it. I’ve got it,” she repeated, sighing in relief, “It’s Hermione. Hermione Granger.”

Everyone visibly relaxed and Madam Pomfrey gave her a small smile. “Good. That’s very good. Now, can you tell me anything else, either about yourself or just anything you can remember at all?”

“I remember… yesterday. I woke up here, and… and we looked around the castle, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. Is that all?”

Hermione nodded slowly. “I think so… I can’t remember the day before that. And there’s not much else that comes to mind.”

“What does that mean?” Ginny asked. “Is it…?”

Everyone sucked in a breath, all of them wondering the same thing, but not wanting to say it out loud. The sombre expression on Madam Pomfrey’s face was enough to confirm their worst fear.

“I think St Mungo’s would be the best option at this stage.”

“That’s… That’s bad, isn’t it?” Hermione asked, already knowing the answer.

“Well, on the bright side, it means you’ll be receiving better care than I can provide you with here. Unfortunately, Hogwarts just isn’t well enough equipped to handle a situation like yours.”

Hermione tried to look at it that way, but the more she thought about it, the worse things began to seem for her. Molly squeezed her shoulder, trying to reassure her. 

“I’ll owl ahead to let them know we’re coming,” she said, “Why don’t the four of you get some breakfast?”

Ginny nodded and led the way out of the Hospital Wing. None of them spoke a word as they walked through the halls; all of them lost in thought and worrying for Hermione. When they reached the Great Hall, Hermione stood frozen in the doorway, her eyes glued to the ceiling as thousands of candles danced above them, suspended in the air. Past that, there was the ceiling, which Hermione wasn’t even sure was there at first. 

“It’s enchanted to look like the sky,” Ginny explained.

“It’s… amazing.”

“Mhm. You should see it at night.”

They took their seats at the Gryffindor table, where their friends were already waiting for them with big smiles on their faces when they saw Hermione. Hermione looked at Ginny nervously, not recognising anyone at the table.

“Right. Hermione, that’s Neville, Luna, and George,” Ginny introduced, pointing at each in turn. 

“Hi,” Hermione said awkwardly, “Er- Sorry about-”

“It’s okay, Mrs Weasley explained it to us,” Neville said, “How do you feel?”

“Mostly just confused.”

“That’ll be the Wrackspurts,” Luna said, earning a laugh from everyone at the table.

Hermione glances around with a furrowed brow, unsure of what she’s missing out on. “The… what?”

“Wrackspurts? Invisible creatures that float into your ears and make your brain go all fuzzy.”

“Oh… Yeah, I suppose that sounds right, actually.”

“Luna, don’t confuse the poor girl even more,” Ginny chuckled. “Once you get your bearings back, you’ll understand Luna better.”

“Whenever that may be,” Hermione mumbled.

“Give it time, Mione. It’s only been a day. You’ll get there soon,” Harry said reassuringly.

“Yeah,” Ron agreed, “You’ll get help at St Mungo’s. You’ll be given the best Healers there; Mum will make sure of it.”

“As soon as the Healers see you walking through the door, they’ll all come running to help,” Neville added.

“Why?” Hermione asked, “I wouldn’t have thought I’m all that special.”

“You’d be surprised,” Ginny chuckled, “We’ll tell you all about it soon, but right now you should eat. Mum’s already giving us death stares for distracting you. I can feel it burning into the back of my skull.”

“Would you look at that?” Harry chuckled, looking over Ginny’s shoulder, “That’s exactly what she’s doing.”

“Better hurry, Hermione, otherwise you’ll get to see the personified version of a Howler,” George joked.

“Believe me, you do not want to see that,” Ron muttered. 

Whatever a Howler was, Hermione was sure she most definitely did not want to see a personified version of it. She looked down at her plate just in time to see food appear on it out of thin air. Glancing left and right, she gasped as the same thing happened to everyone’s plates.

“Magic,” George winked.

“Right. Well, that’s definitely going to take some time to get used to.” 

Hermione ate her food quietly, only vaguely listening to the conversation happening around her. Even if she was paying attention, she knew she wouldn’t understand half of what they were talking about, so she didn’t bother. 

Though she didn’t know much about herself, it didn’t take her long to figure out that she hated being the only one to not know something. She couldn’t help but wonder whether this was how things always were, or whether she would be more involved in the conversation if she had all her memories. 

Soon enough, everyone finished their food and Molly appeared behind them, ready to usher Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Ginny out of the Great Hall.

“We can apparate to the hospital,” Molly explained, “I’ve arranged for you to be given a private room, lest anyone sees you there. We’ll make sure to get you a trusted Healer, too, so they won’t go blabbing to anyone. The last thing you need right now is whatever story Skeeter would spin about you.” 

“You didn’t have to go to all this trouble,” Hermione said. 

“Nonsense, dear.” Molly waved a hand, dismissing Hermione’s worries, “Everyone ready?”

“Mum, Hermione doesn’t know how to apparate,” Ginny pointed out.

“Oh, of course. Hermione, take my arm and hold on tight. This may not be very pleasant, but it will be over quickly.” 

Hermione cautiously took Molly’s arm, bracing herself for whatever was about to happen. However, nothing could have prepared her for the sight of the room spinning around her and the feeling like walls were closing in on her from every direction. She shut her eyes tight as it became harder and harder to breathe, and her head felt like it was going to explode. 

Just as suddenly as it had started, it stopped, and Hermione doubled over, fighting the urge to vomit. A hand came to rest on her back, stroking soothingly. She breathed deeply for a moment and then straightened up, gasping when she realised they’re no longer at Hogwarts, but standing on the pavement outside a building, which looked abandoned. 

“Your first time apparating is never easy,” Harry said sympathetically.

“I thought we were going to a hospital?” Hermione commented, still looking at the building. 

“Since it’s a wizarding hospital, it has to be kept hidden from Muggles — non-magic people. This is just the entrance,” Ginny explained.

“Just talk to that dummy there and step through that window,” Molly said, pointing to the window in question, “And you’ll end up in St Mungo’s.” 

Hermione furrowed her brow, not moving. 

“I’ll go first, to show you,” Ron volunteered. 

He walked forward and glanced back to make sure Hermione was watching before saying something to the dummy in front of the building. Then, he simply climbed through the window and disappeared out of sight. Hermione hurried to the window and looked inside, finding no sign of Ron inside. 

“What the- Where did he go? How can he have just disappeared?” 

“It’s a magical gateway,” Harry explained, “It looks like you’re just going into the abandoned building, but it actually takes you to St Mungo’s. It’s completely safe, I promise.” 

Hermione eyed him, silently debating his trustworthiness. He smiled softly, and gave a short nod of encouragement, and Hermione relented. She turned back to the window, took a deep breath, and stepped through.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> join the Bellamione Coven discord, we’ve got cookies :3  
> we also have channels for cissamione and andromione too!   
> [Linky link to the discord](https://discord.gg/rAKhWJQ)


	2. Chapter 2

Hermione’s eyes darted around in surprise. Though she had seen many examples of magic since she woke the day before, a part of her still believed it couldn’t possibly be true - how could anyone walk into one building and appear in another? Yet there she stood, not in an abandoned building as she had expected, but in a pristine waiting room. 

The room was mostly empty, save for the receptionist behind her desk and an older wizard sitting on one of the wooden chairs that were laid out in rows in the centre of the room. Hermione eyed the newspaper in his hands, on the front of which there was a photograph. At first glance, it seemed normal enough, but Hermione stood dumbfounded as the picture began to move; the man on the front snarling at the camera, with the words ‘Undesirable’ printed in bold letters above him.

Shaking herself from her trance, she stepped aside to make room for Harry, Ginny, and Molly. While Molly went to speak to the receptionist, Hermione took a seat and continued to take in her surroundings. A few people dressed in lime green robes walked in and out of the room; some of them with stacks of files floating behind them as they moved, and others with clipboards and quills that were writing on their own. Even the smallest displays of magic left her in complete awe.

“Welcome to St Mungo’s,” the receptionist said, greeting Molly with a bright smile, “How can I help you?”

“My name is Molly Weasley, I owled earlier this morning,” Molly explained.

The receptionist nodded knowingly and handed Molly a form and a quill. “Of course. Please fill this in whilst I check who’s available to take your case.”

“Listen,” Molly said quietly, glancing side to side despite knowing that the room is empty, “We’d like to try to keep this as quiet as possible, given Hermione’s status. Is there someone-”

“Don’t worry, Mrs Weasley. Everything will be kept strictly confidential.”

“Thank you very much.”

As Molly was filling in the form, Hermione watched as another witch dressed in green robes entered the room. Her eyes locked with Hermione’s and she stopped dead in the doorway, looking at the group with concern. 

“Molly?” Andromeda asked, coming closer, “What are you doing here?” Her eyes scanned each of them in turn, trying to search for any visible injuries.

Molly blinked at her in surprise. “Oh, Andy! I didn’t realise you were back to work so soon.”

“Well, there are still a lot of people who need to be treated. The more Healers on duty, the better.” Andromeda shrugged, her eyes clouding with sadness for a moment before she blinked it away. “Is everyone okay? Are you waiting for a Healer?”

“Yes, we just arrived a moment ago,” Molly answered.

“I could take your case, if you’d like,” Andromeda offered, “I don’t have any urgent patients at the moment, so my schedule is relatively free.”

Molly glanced at Hermione briefly before nodding at Andromeda. “That would be great, actually.” 

Andromeda turned back to inform the receptionist, and had to do a double-take when she was told where to take Hermione. “The Janus Thickey Ward?” she repeated, staring at the receptionist as if she had grown a second head. “Permanent spell damage?”

“Permanent?” Hermione squeaked, fear rising in her chest despite having known that that was a likely possibility.

“Hopefully not,” Molly said reassuringly.

“Sorry. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” Andromeda apologised, taking a breath to collect herself, “Long-term residents would probably be a better way to describe it. I just wasn’t expecting to hear that at all. Usually, our long-term patients are more… visibly affected. But we’ll discuss that further when we’re upstairs.”

“There’s a private room waiting for her,” the receptionist announced.

“Right, come with me then.” Andromeda beckoned for the group to follow her to the lift, where she pressed the button for the fourth floor. She tapped her nails nervously against her leg as they began to ascend, stealing a few worried glances in Hermione’s direction. She could only hope that whatever was ailing the witch wouldn’t be too bad - though, in the back of her mind, she knew it couldn’t be good, considering where they were headed.

The lift stopped and a calm voice announced their arrival as the doors opened to let them out. Andromeda led the group to the room that Hermione had been assigned, instructing her to sit on the edge of the bed while the others occupied the chairs next to it. 

“Now, let’s see what the problem is,” Andromeda said as she took the form Molly had filled in and scanned it quickly, her face falling when she found the answer to her question. “Oh, Merlin…” 

A sharp knock on the door cut through the silence and Andromeda let out a quiet gasp, glancing between it and the group before her.

“Salazar,” she muttered, running a hand through her hair. “I completely forgot about…” 

“What’s wrong?” Molly asked. 

“I’m sorry, I should have told you… It just slipped my mind.” Andromeda sighed and shook her head before continuing. “There’s… someone that has to work with me for the time being. You’re probably not going to be happy about it, but there’s nothing I can do about it. Of course, you’re more than welcome to request a different Healer if-“

“Andy,” Molly interrupted gently, “Who is it?” 

“Er- Narcissa.”

“Are you serious?” Ron snapped, practically launching himself out of his chair, which toppled over in the process. “Absolutely not!”

Hermione furrowed her brow at his sudden outburst and glanced at Harry and Ginny, both of whom looked mildly uncomfortable too. Though, neither of them were as furious as Ron was; that much was crystal clear.

“Ron, calm down,” Molly warned. 

“But Mum, it’s Narcissa Malfoy! That bloody snake shouldn’t be anywhere near here.”

“Narcissa _Black_ ,” Andromeda corrects, narrowing her eyes, “And that’s my sister you’re talking about, Ron.” 

“Oh, so _now_ she’s your sister?” Ron scoffed, “After, what, thirty-odd years?” 

“Ronald Weasley!” Molly scolded. 

“What’s going on?” Hermione asked. Nobody even spared her a glance. 

“What’s she even doing here, hm? Shouldn’t she be in Azkaban by now?” 

“Ron, just-“ Harry tried, but he was cut off by Andromeda.

“Silencio!” 

Hermione watched in horror as Ron tried to speak, but no sound came from him. He struggled for a second or two before finally closing his mouth with a huff. Molly shifted in her seat, but decided against saying anything for now. 

“Now,” Andromeda said, her voice dangerously calm, “Narcissa’s trial was two weeks ago and she was sentenced to work here under my supervision for two years instead of being sent to Azkaban.”

Ron threw his hands up in the air, clearly outraged by that piece of information. Hermione tried her best to follow the conversation, but there was just too much information missing for her to understand it fully.

“I’ll lift the charm,” Andromeda continued, “But only if you can refrain from insulting my sister further. I know that none of you are terribly fond of her, but there are more important matters at hand right now. So, I’ll ask you all to set aside the bad blood while Hermione is my patient, or else you can ask for another Healer. The choice is yours. Just don’t let your friend suffer because of your hatred for one woman.”

There was a few moments of silence as everyone glanced at each other, silently debating Andromeda’s words, before Harry finally spoke up. 

“Mate, she saved my life, remember?” 

Hermione’s brain flooded with even more questions; something she didn’t even think was possible at that stage. Ron just glared at Harry for defending Narcissa. 

He looked back at Andromeda and gestured to his mouth, raising an eyebrow. Andromeda rolled her eyes, but relented. 

“Finite Incantatem.” 

“Do you really think working here erases everything she’s done?” Ron asked now that he could speak again. 

“Well, if you think about it, she didn’t really do much,” Ginny piped up, trying to be the voice of reason, “She was never one of… _them_.”

“No, that was just her husband and her son,” Ron said sarcastically, “Oh, and not to mention her bloody sister!” 

Hermione’s eyes drifted to Andromeda, a question on the tip of her tongue, but the older witch shook her head before she could even ask. 

“My other sister,” Andromeda clarified, “Ron, is this really a conversation you want to have now? Here?” 

Ron glanced at Hermione, seeming like he only just realised she was still sitting there. He backed down a little, but crossed his arms in frustration. 

“How can you two be okay with this?” he asked, turning to Harry and Ginny, “And you, Mum?” 

“Look,” Molly sighed, “I don’t particularly _like_ the woman - no offence, Andy - but if she stood trial and wasn’t sentenced to Azkaban, then that’s final.” 

“About that,” Ron continued, “How did she get excused, anyway?” 

Harry took a deep breath and adjusted his glasses nervously. “I… I testified on her behalf.”

And just like that, Ron set off again. As if Harry had thrown petrol on the last dying embers of a fire, Ron roared to life again, burning brighter than before. 

“What?! Are you bloody mental? Why the fuck-“

“Language,” Molly interrupted. 

“-Would you do that? Do you not remember _anything_ that happened in the last seven years? She’s a bloody criminal, Harry!” 

Andromeda tightened her grip on her wand, ready to silence Ron again, but Harry cut in before she could. 

“I did it because, as I said, she saved my _life_. I think that’s proof enough that she’s not who we thought she was. Give her a chance, would you? She was actually quite pleasant when I talked to her at the trial.”

“Of course she was _pretending_ to be pleasant, she wanted you to-“

“Leave it, Ron,” Ginny said, “She has to be here whether you like it or not, so just suck it up.” 

“Do you really want her around Hermione? Do you really think she’ll want to treat her? We all know exactly what she believes in.”

Once again, there was a hidden meaning there that Hermione didn’t catch on to, but everyone else had a strong reaction to. They all began to speak at once, voices blending together. 

“Hey!” Hermione snapped, finally getting everyone to quiet down. “Don’t I get a say in this? I mean, it is me she’ll be treating, after all.” 

“No offence, Mione, but you don’t exactly know enough to be able to make that decision,” Ron said. 

“Oh? Then why don’t you explain it to me?” Nobody made a move to answer, and Hermione nodded slowly. “That’s what I thought. Listen, right now I really couldn’t care less who it is that treats me. All I care about is getting my memories back. So if it’ll speed up the process, then for the love of- of Merlin, or whoever, just let her in.” 

“Are you sure, Hermione?” Molly asked. 

“Yes.”

The second Narcissa was let into the room, she froze, her eyes moving to each person in turn. She looked at Andromeda last, mouth opening to protest, but Andromeda held up a hand to stop her. 

“Please don’t start this argument again,” she said, “Merlin knows you’ll drive me mad.”

“Andy, I-“ Narcissa glanced at Hermione, their eyes meeting briefly before she looked away. “I can’t.” 

“Well, you don’t exactly have much of a choice, do you?” 

“No, you don’t understand-“

“We have a patient to treat,” Andromeda said firmly, silencing Narcissa with a pointed look, “We’ll talk about it later.”

“Told you she wouldn’t want to be near Hermione,” Ron mumbled under his breath. 

“Okay.” Andromeda picked up a clipboard and returned to Hermione’s side. Narcissa stood just behind her, avoiding looking at Hermione. “How did this happen?” 

Hermione looked at her friends, and Ginny spoke up. “We went to Hogsmeade two days ago and she was hit with a spell. She woke up yesterday with no memory, so I guess that means she was Obliviated.” 

“You realised this yesterday?” Andromeda asked, turning to Molly. “Why are you only bringing her in now?”

“Poppy wanted to see if there was a possibility of it being temporary before we came here, but…” Molly trailed off, but Andromeda nodded in understanding. 

“Okay,” she hummed, taking out her wand. Hermione eyed it nervously, thinking back to what Andromeda had done to Ron with it, and promptly decided she didn’t particularly like having a wand pointed at her. Though, she doubted anyone liked it much. 

Andromeda, noticing her apprehension, smiled gently. “I’m just going to cast a diagnostic spell, of sorts. It will just allow me to see the traces of magic left by the memory charm and assess whether I can undo it,” she explained, “Is that okay?” 

Hermione nodded, albeit somewhat reluctantly, and then felt a wave of magic settle over her like a warm blanket, somehow comforting her and soothing her nerves almost immediately. She watched Andromeda’s expression carefully as the older witch concentrated on the spell with a furrowed brow and lips drawn into a thin line. 

Hermione’s gaze shifted to Narcissa, whose eyes were glued to the back of Andromeda’s head. There were so many questions about the blonde bouncing around her head, so many things she wanted to know but didn’t dare ask. The icy glare that Narcissa wore was enough to tell her that she shouldn’t even try. That, and Ron’s reaction upon hearing her name.

Blue eyes met her own for a split second, and both witches quickly looked away. Hermione felt her cheeks heat up at the idea of having been caught staring at Narcissa, while the blonde simply kept up her mask of indifference, leaving Hermione wondering whether she ever showed emotion.

Andromeda hummed then, startling Hermione from her thoughts. “It doesn’t look like a typical Obliviate,” she commented, “It seems to be altered, somehow.”

“Can it be undone?” Hermione asked.

Andromeda sighed softly. “To be completely honest with you, I’m not sure. I’ll have to study the spell further to see, but… Even under normal circumstances, memory charms are tricky. I’ve had plenty of cases where people have had one or two memories accidentally Obliviated, and even at that, the memories are difficult to restore. Your entire memory being intentionally erased, though… That’s a different story. I’m not trying to scare you; I just want to prepare you for the worst, in case it happens.”

“Will this be anything like… Lockhart?” Ron asked.

“Who’s Lockhart? What happened to them?”

“Ron!” Ginny hissed, elbowing him in the ribs.

“Er- sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.” Ron hung his head and his ears turned pink in shame.

“Lockhart was a famous wizard who wrote books about all these incredible adventures he went on and magical creatures he fought, people he saved, things like that,” Harry explained, “Except it turned out that he had actually stolen other people’s stories and passed them off as his own. In order to keep his secret, he Obliviated those people so they wouldn’t go telling everyone that he was a fraud. One day, he tried to cast the spell on someone, but the wand he used was broken, so the spell backfired. He’s… He’s been staying here ever since.”

Hermione swallowed thickly, trying not to linger too much on the prospect of never getting her memories back, and having to stay in the hospital permanently. Harry, Ron, and Ginny looked at each other, nobody knowing what to say to reassure her.

Thankfully Andromeda jumped in. “That is true, yes, but his case is nothing like yours. The wand being broken caused the spell itself to go wrong and it damaged his brain. That’s why we were unable to restore his memories.”

“But how do you know my brain isn’t damaged too?” Hermione asked. “I mean, whoever did this to me wanted to hurt me, from what I’m gathering, so why wouldn’t they intentionally make it irreversible?” 

“If your brain were damaged, I would have seen it in my diagnostic spells. We don’t have enough information to know what might have been going through this person’s head at the time, so there’s no way to know what their intentions were. Though we don’t know much about the spell, theoretically it shouldn’t be impossible to reverse. As I said, we’ll have to study it closer to know for sure, but I’m confident we can find a solution. It might just take a little longer than a normal memory charm would.”

“Are you sure _she_ doesn’t know anything about this?” Ron asked, jutting his chin in Narcissa’s direction.

“Ron… I told you-” Andromeda started, but she was cut off.

“If you have something to say, Mr Weasley, I’ll ask that you say it outright,” Narcissa said coldly, arching an eyebrow at him.

“Ron, don’t,” Molly warned.

“Well, given your part in everything that’s happened the last few years, and the company you keep, I wouldn’t be surprised if you played a part in all this,” Ron accused, “Or, at least know who did.”

“And what reason would I possibly have for erasing Miss Granger’s memories?”

“I’m sure you’d have plenty.”

“Why don’t we get you a comfortable set of clothes?” Andromeda said to Hermione, changing the subject. “You’ll be here for some time; might as well get out of those jeans.”

Andromeda snapped her fingers and Hermione jumped when a moment later, a creature with large eyes and bat-like ears appeared in the middle of the room with a loud ‘pop’. He held out a set of white pyjamas with thin, green stripes running down then, and Hermione hesitated for a brief second before taking them.

“Er- Thank you.”

The creature disappeared again and Hermione looked around, silently asking for an explanation. 

“A house-elf,” Ginny explained, “Witches and wizards have them do their household chores for them, cook meals, pretty much whatever they’re asked to do.”

“So, they’re like servants? That sounds… cruel,” Hermione muttered, shaking her head gently. She looked up, with her eyebrows drawn together when she heard her friends snicker. “What?”

“Still the same Hermione,” Ron chuckled. 

“When you were in fourth year, you set up this organisation that was focused on giving house-elves the same rights as Wizardkind,” Ginny explained. 

“Really? Did it get anywhere?” 

“Er- Not really,” Harry replied, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. 

“Oh.” Hermione glanced at the pyjamas in her hands and looked around. “Where should I…?”

“The bathroom is just through that door there,” Andromeda said, pointing to the other side of the room. 

“Should we contact her parents?” Molly asked when Hermione closed the door behind her.

“Actually,” Harry interjected before Andromeda could respond, “She… Her parents… You won’t be able to contact them.”

“What does that mean? Are they…?” Molly trailed off, not wanting to finish her question.

“No!” Harry said quickly, “No, they aren’t. They just… aren’t around. It’s not really my place to say.”

Molly looked like she wanted to question him further, but the sound of the door opening led them to drop the conversation. Hermione left the bathroom, looking down at her arm in a mix of confusion and discomfort. 

“Hermione? What’s wrong?” Ginny asked.

“What’s a mudblood?”

Everyone tensed at the question. It wasn’t something anyone had wanted to have to explain to Hermione so soon - or ever, really. 

“Where did you hear that word?” Ron asked.

Hermione held out her arm for them to see. Unnoticed by everyone else, Narcissa flinched and averted her gaze from the scar that marred Hermione’s arm. 

Molly paled at the sight of it. “What the-”

“What is that?” Ginny asked.

“I don’t know. I just saw it while I was getting changed.”

“That looks recent,” Andromeda remarked, looking closely at the scar, “Do any of you know what happened?” 

Harry shifted on his feet, looking at Narcissa momentarily. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, not knowing how to begin while the blonde was standing right there. Ron, on the other hand, had no such problem.

“That fucking bitch!”

“Ronald Weasley, watch your language!”

“Sorry, Mum, but that’s what she is.”

“Who?” Hermione asked.

Ron stiffened then, his eyes flicking to Andromeda. Her lips parted in shock, catching on to what he wasn’t saying. 

“No…” she whispered, shaking her head, “It wasn’t, was it? Merlin.”

“Why don’t you ask her?” Ron asked, once again directing his anger towards Narcissa.

“What exactly are you accusing me of, Mr Weasley?” Narcissa snapped, tearing her focus away from the wall she had been staring at. 

“Do you really have to ask?”

“Actually, Ron, I’d like to know too,” Andromeda said, crossing her arms over her chest.

“She was _there_! When we were at Malfoy Manor, Harry and I were taken to the cellar, while your sister - _both_ of them - kept Hermione upstairs. We didn’t see it happen, but we heard the screams. She,” Ron glared at Narcissa, “Witnessed it and did _nothing_.”

“Your… Your sister did this?” Hermione asked, glancing between Andromeda and Narcissa. The latter turned her head away again, her lips drawn into a thin line; the first change in her expression Hermione had seen since she first walked through the door. 

Andromeda looked at her with sadness and a hint of guilt in her eyes. “My sister was… It- It’s complicated. Far too complicated. But I am… so sorry for what she did to you, Hermione.”

“What does it mean?” Hermione asked, “Why did she do this?”

“It’s a long story,” Harry said.

“Everything’s a long story,” Hermione mumbled. 

“Look, let’s just focus on why you’re here for now,” Molly said, trying to lead the conversation away from anything that might cause Hermione - or any of the teenagers - distress. 

“Right,” Andromeda nodded, clearing her throat before she continued, “Narcissa, would you take a look at the spell to check whether there’s anything I might’ve missed?”

Narcissa agreed, albeit reluctantly, and moved to stand in front of Hermione, keeping her eyes trained on her forehead rather than making eye contact. The close proximity allowed Hermione to get a closer look at Narcissa, and it was like her brain short-circuited. Any questions running through her mind flew out the window, all of them being replaced by thoughts of how gorgeous the blonde witch was. And those eyes…

Suddenly those eyes meet hers, swirling with bewilderment. It was the first time Narcissa had looked at Hermione in the eye for more than a split second, and she couldn’t help but get lost in them. Narcissa cleared her throat quietly and Hermione quickly looked away, rubbing the back of her neck as she felt her cheeks heat up. There was a nagging in the back of her mind that Narcissa had heard her thoughts, but she brushed it off, deeming it impossible.

Though, she wasn’t sure if anything was truly impossible anymore.

“I can’t see anything out of the ordinary, bar the slight alteration of the spell, which you already mentioned,” Narcissa said as she took a step back. Her tone insinuated that her looking was a waste of time in the first place.

“What if you look inside her mind?” Andromeda suggested, “Maybe there are some memories there, but she just can’t access them. Or even traces of memories that could help us restore them. A clue, even; something that might help us figure this out. Just… anything.”

Hermione felt her embarrassment grow even more. Narcissa _could_ read minds; she could very well have heard Hermione’s thoughts about her after all.

The blonde turned her head sharply to narrow her eyes at her sister. “I don’t-”

“Please, Cissa.”

Andromeda and Narcissa stared at each other, seeming to be engaged in some sort of silent stand-off. Eventually, Narcissa rolled her eyes and turned back to Hermione.

“You don’t have to-”

Narcissa cut Hermione off. “You’re going to feel a presence in your mind. Try not to fight against me, if you can help it. I highly doubt you would be able to hold me back, but regardless, it will be easier, and quicker, without your subconscious trying to push me out. And we need to maintain eye contact.”

Hermione nodded in acknowledgement, despite not actually knowing how to fight off a mind-reader. She only hoped she didn’t do it accidentally. Taking a deep breath, she locked eyes with Narcissa and felt a calm wave wash over her mind. 

_“If this needs eye contact to work, how did you hear my thoughts a few minutes ago? Sorry if I made you… uncomfortable, or anything. I couldn’t exactly help it; you really are- Never mind. I’ll shut up now before I embarrass myself further.”_

Hermione didn’t know if it was possible to have a conversation with someone in her mind, but she figured it was worth a shot. There was no reply, and Hermione started to think it wouldn’t work. It made sense, she supposed; if she couldn’t read Narcissa’s mind, how would she hear her response?

_“I can respond by projecting my own thoughts into your head, Miss Granger. I’m just trying to concentrate on the task at hand. I thought that’s what you wanted, is it not?”_

_“Oh, right. Sorry, I didn’t mean to distract you.”_

She felt Narcissa rummaging around in her head as if she were searching for something. A moment or two later, she hears Narcissa’s voice in her head again. 

_“To answer your question; most of the time, legilimency does need eye contact to work, although some people’s thoughts are… particularly loud. So I can hear them without trying to.”_

Narcissa raised an eyebrow, indicating that the statement was about Hermione. 

_“Oh… Sorry. Er- Can I ask one more thing?”_

_“I suppose.”_

_“What are you looking for?”_

Narcissa didn’t respond right away, instead continuing her search of Hermione’s mind. A slight crease appeared between her eyebrows before she finally answered. 

_“Anything. Anything at all.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> join the Bellamione Coven discord and i’ll give you chocolate :3  
> (we’ve got channels for cissamione and andromione too)  
> [Linky link to the discord](https://discord.gg/rAKhWJQ)


End file.
